My mower is smarter than I am.

[deckeda]

My 16 yr old Honda petered out and I then couldn't pull the cord. Ran the crankcase dry. WTF. I changed the oil last year and it was full then.

Added a little oil and could slowly spin the flywheel with a socket and ratchet. I gave up when it didn't free it up enough.

Watched a YouTube video of a guy who didn't give up, and so back I went at it. Worked it a bunch more with the ratchet, added a little more oil. Finally the rope cord could spin it slowly. I let the rope cord work the flywheel some. It caught, and ran great. And now the cord pulls easy.

It's like getting "a whole new mower."

[mstudio]

I dunno, sounds you are smarter... I always try to fix instead of replace.

[davemchine]

I agree. You were persistent and smart. Good job!

[John B.]

Older Hondas are tanks. Mine is about 20 years old and still starts on the first pull.

[deckeda]

davemchine wrote:
I agree. You were persistent and smart. Good job!

I'm tenacious when I have hope. Some direction. The reasonable chance to fix it. I was already thinking this morning if I should keep it for parts or dump it entirely ...

I own 2 identical mowers. Picked up its twin a couple weeks ago off craigslist, as a hedge against what I thought was a transmission problem with my first. Despite a good audition at the seller's house, it fell flat upon it's first mow for me and wouldn't stay running.

A week later I'd rebuilt the carbs in each machine and they now start and run pretty great. I'd given up on the transmission ever working right again on the first one until I went back once more and adjusted its cable yet again. Success!

My boy and I have been out there several days a week using each, at a sizable property my in-laws have that they are still pondering what to do with. There's 2 riding mowers (dead in creative ways) a walk-behind (ditto) I have futzed with, but those machines are trashed and I won't spend more time on them. There's a sweet Gravely zero turn there also, but I don't want to use good machines that aren't mine.

[Speedy]

deckeda wrote: There's a sweet Gravely zero turn there also, but I don't want to use good machines that aren't mine.

You had me until the last sentence.

[deckeda]

UPDATE:

Dead.

Started up, mowed about 50-70ft and it appears the connecting rod broke. Made a terrible noise, I stopped the blade, noise still there. I shut it down.

Spins REALLY easy, now that the piston no longer moves! Crankshaft seems fine.

On the lookout for another GCV140 for it. A GCV160 would be sweet but I don't know if it's a bolt-in.

[Acer]

Actually, I'm relieved. I tossed a mower that had seized up when the oil ran out some years back. You had me feeling guilty for not trying to save it. Well, not any more!-D

[OWC Jamie]

deckeda wrote:
My mower is smarter than I am.

If it was you'd think it would have run when it had the chance.


:rimshot: